‘not exclusively heterosexual’

According to A British Government Survey 50% of Young Brits ‘not exclusively heterosexual

Half of young Brits say they are ‘not exclusively heterosexual’ with a quarter of all UK adults saying they are gay or bisexual. YouGov poll asked people to plot themselves on a scale of sexuality. The poll ranged from completely heterosexual to 100 per cent gay. Survey authors said people now see their sexuality as ‘less fixed in stone’. The results revealed that 23 per cent of British adults choose something other than 100 per cent heterosexual – with the figure rising to 49 per cent among 18-24 year olds. More men claim to have had a gay experience with a fifth reporting having had a sexual experience with another man.

Just 14 per cent of females report having had a sexual experience with another woman. And only four per cent of adults classed themselves as completely gay, with around a fifth (19 per cent) putting themselves somewhere in between.

Participants were asked to put themselves in one of seven levels of sexuality, ranging from 0 (100 per cent heterosexual) to 6 (100 per cent homosexual) based on Kinsey scale of sexual orientation. Will Dahlgreen, a data journalist at YouGov, said: ‘Clearly, these figures are not measures of active bisexuality – overall, 89 per cent of the population describes themselves as heterosexual – but putting yourself at level one allows for the possibility of homosexual feelings and experiences.’ The survey authors said that with each generation, people see their sexuality as ‘less fixed in stone’.

For example, for those aged 60 and over – who will have been young teens when homosexuality was legalised, in 1967 – 89 per cent said they were completely straight or completely homosexual.

According to the survey, a quarter of those aged between 18 and 39 said reported having had a homosexual experience. This compares to only nine per cent of those aged 60 and over. Meanwhile, more men claim to have had a gay experience with a fifth reporting having had a sexual experience with another man.Just 14 per cent of females report having had a sexual experience with another woman.